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The following biography
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Wikipedia.org
“The
Free Encyclopedia.”
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 –
September 30, 1955) was an American film actor. Epitomizing youthful
angst and charisma, Dean's screen persona is probably best embodied in
the title of his most representative work, Rebel Without a Cause.
Born on a Marion, Indiana, family farm to
Winton and Mildred Wilson Dean, he and his family moved to Santa Monica,
California, six years later after Winton left farming to become a dental
technician. While there, Dean was enrolled in Brentwood Public School
until his mother died of cancer in 1940.
Then, at age nine, Dean's father sent him
back to live with relatives on a farm near Fairmount, Indiana, where he
was raised with a Quaker upbringing. In high school, Dean played on the
school basketball team and participated in forensics and drama. After
graduating from Fairmont High School in 1949, Dean moved back to
California to live with his father and stepmother.
He enrolled in Santa Monica College,
pledged Sigma Nu fraternity and majored in pre-law. After struggling
with law, against his father's wishes, Dean changed his major to drama
after transferring to the University of California Los Angeles. The
resulting parental fight left Dean once again being turned out of his
father's house.
Dean began his career with a soft drink
commercial followed by a stint as a stunt tester in the game show Beat
the Clock. He quit college to focus on his budding career, but he
struggled to get jobs in Hollywood and only succeeded in paying bills by
working as a parking lot attendant.
Following the advice of friends, Dean moved
to New York City to pursue a career in live stage acting. While there he
was accepted to study under Lee Strasberg in the storied Actors Studio.
His career turned around and Dean did several episodes of such
early-1950s episodic television programs such as Kraft Television
Theater, Studio One, Lux Video Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents,
Danger, and General Electric Theater. His rave reviews in André Gide's
The Immoralist led to his being called back to Hollywood and film
stardom.
He appeared in several uncredited bit roles
in such forgettable films as Sailor Beware, but finally gained
recognition and success in 1955 in his first starring role, that of Cal
Trask in East of Eden, for which he received an Academy Award nomination
for Best Actor in a Leading Role. This was the first posthumous acting
nomination in Academy Awards history. He followed this up in rapid
succession with two more starring roles, in Rebel Without a Cause, and
in the 1956 release Giant, for which he was also nominated for an
Academy Award.
Dean had become friends with fellow auto
enthusiast and multi-millionaire, Lance Reventlow, who was one of the
last people to speak to Dean when they met on their way to an auto race
in Salinas, California. A few hours later James Dean died in a road
accident while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder near Cholame, California
when a car driven by Donald Turnupseed veered into Dean's lane. This
occurred before the release of Giant. He is one of only five people to
be nominated for Best Actor for his first feature role, and the only
person to be nominated twice after his death. He is buried in Park
Cemetery in Fairmount, Indiana.
Dean epitomized the rebellion of 1950s
teenagers, especially in his role in Rebel Without a Cause. Many
teenagers of the time modeled themselves after him, and his death cast a
pall on many members of his generation. His very brief career and
lifestyle, violent death and highly publicized funeral along with
disputed rumours of bisexuality transformed James Dean into a cult
figure and pop icon of apparently timeless fascination.
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URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean
Date Article Copied:
July 12, 2005
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